Dental health is more than just avoiding cavities and keeping your teeth white. The Dental Air Force appliance addresses the many health issues that can affect the mouth, including periodontal disease. Our system allows you to kill bacteria in the mouth, preventing bad breath and plaque build-up, while also keeping your mouth’s tissues healthy by cleaning them without over-abrading any surfaces. It does this by penetrating the greasy film, aerating in between teeth and around the gum line where bacteria grow and changing the acidic environment in the mouth. Dental Air Force is a total oral health system – Learn about how it keeps your entire mouth healthy below.

TOTAL ORAL HEALTH FROM THE DENTAL AIR FORCE APPLIANCE

Periodontal disease is the most prevalent human disease. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, in 1996 reported that 50 percent of all adults have gingivitis and 80 percent have had some degree of periodontal disease. P. Baehni and D. Bourgeois (Epidemiology of Periodontal Health and Dsease, Proceedings of the European Workshop on Mechanical Plaque Control, 1998) summarized findings from Dolan et al. that reported 92 percent of 50-60-year-olds with periodontal disease (attachment loss greater than 4 millimeters).

BACTERIA FOUND IN YOUR MOUTH

The mouth is a dark, moist environment of a constant warm temperature with a steady supply of carbohydrates – truly ideal bacteria growing conditions. There are from 400 – 500 different species of bacteria in the mouth. There is no other place in or on the male or female body that houses this diversity of bacteria. Bacteria can be divided into two types:

1. aerobic – those that live off and reproduce in air – mostly beneficial.
2. anaerobic – those that live in the absence of air – mostly pathological.

The excrement from the anaerobic bacteria is what you taste and smell in your mouth when you wake up in the morning. Not only is it acidic, it also forms a sticky hydrophobic (water resistant) shield around the tooth, called plaque. This is why water alone does not work to remove plaque. In addition, gums act like a gasket around the tooth, further preventing air or water to reach the anaerobic bacteria along the gum line. Something else is needed to break through the grease barrier.

Bacteria (good or bad) reproduce exponentially every hour. This means that if you start off with a bacteria population of 1x (1x being the amount of bacteria in your mouth after a professional cleaning – which you can’t achieve in the home), after one hour you have doubled the population of bacteria, and after two hours you have 4x, then 8x, 16x, etc. Poor cleaning in a few areas will leave heavy concentrations of plaque that can repopulate other areas of the oral cavity.

You may start with a bacteria population of 10,000x and in a few hours bacteria will quickly race out of control. In addition, if you have a lot of restorations, crowns, bridges, orthodontic appliances, wisdom teeth, have periodontal disease, or don’t floss, you start out with dangerous levels of bacteria even after you are through brushing your teeth.

BACTERIA LEAD TO DENTAL PROBLEMS

There is a direct link between bacterial plaque and dental problems. Dental decay, periodontal disease, and gingivitis are all caused by the anaerobic bacteria that live in the mouth.
Dental decay is actually caused by the acidic excrement from the bacteria. The tooth is literally being dissolved by chronically being bathed in this acid.
Gingivitis is the inflammation of the gums caused by one’s own body trying to fight off the invasion of the bacteria.

Periodontal disease (perio meaning around, and dontal meaning tooth) is the loss of bone and tissue attachment around the tooth. It is caused by a microbial invasion around the tooth by anaerobic bacteria.

Another oral health issue is bad breath. Odors and acids are produced in the film of plaque that reside between teeth, along the gum line and on the surface of the tongue.

More of a cosmetic issue than a health issue, are stains or yellowing teeth. The biofilm takes on pigments from foods, caffeine and smoke. These stain your teeth both extrinsically (on the surface of the tooth) as well as intrinsically (permeating the porous dentin). The dingy look of one’s teeth can contribute to lower self esteem.

SIGNS OF PERIODONTAL DISEASE:

Bad breath that won’t go away

Red or swollen gums

Tender or bleeding gums

Painful chewing

Loose teeth

Sensitive teeth

DENTAL PROBLEMS LINKED TO OTHER DISEASES

Over the last ten years there has been a growing body of evidence linking periodontal disease and systemic diseases. The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) states “Gum disease is a threat to your oral health. Research is also pointing to possible health effects of periodontal diseases that go well beyond your mouth.”

Diabetics are more susceptible to contracting infections, which is the likely reason they are more apt to have periodontal disease than those without diabetes “Periodontal disease is often considered the sixth complication of diabetes,” claims the AAP. “Controlling your periodontal disease may help you control your diabetes,” adds Jack Caton, D.D.S., M.S., president of AAP.

Some 16 million Americans suffer from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and it is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. F. Scannapieco, D.M.D., lead researcher of a study published in January 2001 Journal of Periodontology, found that patients with periodontal disease have a 1.5 times greater risk of COPD. “Identification of potential risk factors that contribute to the development of chronic bronchitis or emphysema – respiratory diseases that comprise COPD – may suggest interventions that could prevent or delay the onset of the disease, or slow its progression,” states Scannapieco.

More and more evidence is mounting to show a link between low birth weights and periodontal disease. In 1996 Dr. Steven Offenbacher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that even after taking other possible causes of prematurity into account, women with periodontal disease are seven times more likely to have a baby of low birth weight or that is premature.
Not only is there an indirect link between periodontal disease and systemic diseases, but periodontal disease is infectious or communicable and can be passed between family members.
ATTACKING THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM
The body’s natural defenses alone cannot guard against these adverse conditions and preventive care is critical to achieving good health. Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General May 2000 states, “The mouth is the center of vital tissues and functions that are critical to total health and well-being across the life span.” Your mouth is the front line of this battle, and your home dental care combined with regular professional care are fundamental to maintaining good health.
To reduce the anaerobic bacteria population (plaque) in the mouth, you must:

1. break through the sticky shield with an abrasive
2. aerate the site
3. neutralize the acid

Normal cleaning methods like brushing and flossing have a difficult time accessing the sites between the teeth, aerating those sites, and neutralizing the acid where the anaerobic bacteria thrive. dental air force® is a tool to provide you with thorough cleaning every day and a low average count of plaque on all surfaces of teeth – cheek side, tongue side, between teeth and around the gum line.
Voracious tooth brushing can over abrades the cheek surface of the teeth along the gum line, causing ridges and sensitivity to hot, cold, sweets, and further brushing. Signs of this condition begin to show as early as age 20 and are very evident in most individuals by age 50. Unfortunately, fillings do not last when restoring this damage. While the toothbrush is over abrading one surface, it under performs or does nothing to remove plaque from between the teeth. In a clinical study conducted by the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry, dental air force® removed 62.5% more plaque between teeth than the leading power toothbrush. It did this while being three times less abrasive on the cheek side surfaces of the teeth.

The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends brushing teeth twice a day and flossing once a day to control bacteria and plaque. However, according to an ADA survey, only 5% of adults floss daily. In addition, The Journal of Clinical Periodontology reported that within those five percent of people who do floss, only 18 – 35 percent of the plaque between their teeth is removed.

Dental Air Force is the only appliance of it’s kind to be FDA approved for marketing to replace both brushing and flossing, eliminating a step in daily home dental care. Another drawback to flossing is that the floss can act as a contaminate, bringing infection from one tooth to the other; Dental Air Force eliminates these problems.

Dental Air Force is a brushless electrical appliance that uses a precision jet of air, water and dental cleaner to power wash teeth, between teeth and along the gum line. Progressive professional dentists use similar technology in their practices. The Prophy-Jet, used in professional cleanings, reduces or replaces the painful hand scaling used to remove plaque build up. dental air force® does not eliminate regular office visits.

The system uses a dental cleaner formula with sodium bicarbonate, the most widely accepted and natural cleaning agent, to promote a neutral environment. The cleaner is free of sodium laurel sulfate, the ingredient common in most toothpastes and responsible for most of the allergy sensitivity that users experience. Other ingredients include natural mint and xylitol known as antibacterial additives. You can use the system with hydrogen peroxide and get the added benefit of intrinsically whitening your teeth and further oxygenating, disinfecting and destroying the anaerobic species of bacteria. It is particularly effective for patients with crowns, bridges, implants and orthodontic appliances.

The longevity of your teeth is directly related to the thoroughness and frequency of removing this plaque. It is living your life with a low average amount of plaque on all surfaces of the teeth that insures this longevity. Dental Air Force breaks through the sticky shield, aerates the site and neutralizes the acid, thus reducing the pathological anaerobic bacteria on all surfaces of the teeth.

For the cost of a digital camera or other luxuries that we have in our lives, Dental Air Force provides – true dental insurance, professional whiting, systemic disease protection, time saved by combining brushing and flossing, dental work preservation, a brighter smile, higher self esteem, increased confidence about your breath in getting close to the ones you love.